Printer&#39;s composing stick



June 17, 1924. 1,498,328

P. SIMPSON PRINTERS COMPOSING STICK Filed May 5, 1925 Patented June 17, 1924s i T @NETED STA'HEd PERCY SIMPSON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PRIINTEBS COMPOSING STICK.

Application filed May 5, 1923. Serial in. 637,027.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PERCY SrMPsoN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Bowling Green Lane, Farringdon Road, London, E. C. 1, England, have invented certain new and useful Improve,- ments in Printers Composing Sticks (for which I havefiled an application in England dated 9th November, 1922), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to composing sticks. In all sticks such as hitherto constructed there have been projectin rough parts which are found in use to cha e the hands of the compositor. In some previous constructions the knee has been clamped by means of a screw or bolt projecting from it at the longitudinal edge of the base plate and in others notches have been formed in a projecting part of the stick, for example, the top edge of the back flange leaving projecting teeth.

- It is the chief object ofthe present invention to provide a composing stick which shall have no projecting parts which are liable to chafe or otherwise injure the compositors hands; 7

According to the present invention, a spring pressed bolt or the equivalent is mounted to slide in the cross member of the knee or slide and is pressed resiliently outwards. This bolt is extended around the longitudinal edge of the base plate and ,v passes under the latter and is formed with teeth which engage in notches formed on the inner edge of a part of the base plate turned down and under the main base plate. The resilient pressure on the bolt, therefore, holds the turned down part of the bolt in engagement with these notches.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, an example of a composing stick constructed in accordance therewith will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the stick;

Figure 2 a rear elevation; and

Figure 3 a cross section on the line III-III of Figure 1.

The base plate a has a portion b turned down along its longitudinal edge and folded upon itself below the base plate a as seen in Figure 2. The actual edge of the folded over portion 6 is formed with a number of notches 0 leaving relatively blunt teeth.

The cross member of the knee or slide d is drilled lon itudinally as seen in Figure 3 and within it slides a spring pressedbolt e. The head 7 of this bolt is extended around the longitudinal edge of the base plate a and the folded over portion (Z and is formed on its inner surface 9 with teeth adapted to engage in the notches 0. Under normal conditions the teeth are caused'to engage the notchesc by the coiled compression spring h located within the bore in the slide" (Z and tending to press outwards the bolt 6 so that this bolt serves as a catch to maintain the slide d in any position in which; it has been set.v Thelongitudinal edgeof the base plate a is furnished with an engraved scale 75', as is usual and the graduations of this scale correspond with the width of the notches c. The longitudinal edge of the base plate is usually the weakest part of a composing stick because it is subjected to bending stresses when in use.- The improved method of folding over this edge considerably stiifensit against bending and consequently the base was a whole can be made of thinner metal reducing the weight of metal in the whole stick and rendering the latter easier to handle whilemaintaining its efficiency with regard to durability- In order to make an adjustment of the stick, it is merely necessary for the compositor to press on the head 7 of the bolt or catch 6 so as to compress to a small extent the coiled spring h to push the toothed turned-over part of the head f out of engagement with the notches c. The knee or slide d is then free and can be moved along 7 the stick to the desired position when the bolt head'f is again released and engages the notches 0. As can be seen from Figure 1 the head is in such a position that the compositor can release it merely by pressure of his thumb so that the slide at is released more easily and more quickly than in previous forms of stick and in the present case the stick can be re-adjusted without alteration of the position of the compositors hand.

The slide (1 is formed with a right angled portion Z which rests in contact with the inner face of the back flange m of the stick. As illustrated also a clamp n is provided to embrace the back flange m and the part I of the slide. Such a clamp which is not novel in itself is shown turned under the base plate at 0 and engaging the inner surface of the part 1 of the slide (1. A. screw With a milled head 10 is shown passing through the clamp 6t and it can be screwed up until its point bears on the part Z of the slide (Z. This clamp isa-rranged so that it does not provide any harmful projecting parts. The part of the clamp n embracing the back flange m is made quite smooth and the screw 20 projects across the top of the base plate a and is therefore not in a posities to interfer the use of the stick.

I Having thus described invention 'Wllal' I eleirh as new and dsii to sedate Letters Patent is I 1. In a pililtl s stik a base plate having e longitudinal edge folded unde -upon itself ehdierniea with teeth along said edge, an adjustable knee slidahly mounted on said base plate, a catch ino'unted #36 Slide liabelhllji said knee and having a head cooperating with said teeth and he eiheht means for holding" said head in engagemeht said teeth;

2. In e pn'hte efe eojznpesihg sticli e base piete having e longitudinal edge turned down and rein-eea e-on itsel-l and refined with teeth alongsaid edge, an adjustable lih "slid'aloly mounted on said Plath aild havi g e lateral bore, catch with e e -ii'ndrical-shank slidao-ly in said bore and with a head cashed te engage said teeth and a ee'i-led eehiipieesien lodged within lbO'i resiliently said catch outward-sto maintain its head in engagement with said teeth. a

' 3. In a printers composing stick, a base plate W'ith e stiffened longitudinal edge t rn-ed down and folded u on itself and formed with teeth along said edge, an adjustable knee slidably mounted onsaid base plate and a catch mounted in said knee in position to engage said teeth and arranged to be disengaged by pressure of the operators thumb.

4. l-n-a printers composing stick, a base plate having a stiffened longitudinal edge turned down and folded upon itself and formed with teeth along said edge and a flange along the b ack longitudinal edge, an adjustable knee fslidably mounted on said base plate and formed with a cross member a longitudinal member in contact with said flange, a sliding catch mounted in the cross member of said knee and shaped to on gage said teeth, a spring in operative relation with said catch for maintaining the latter in engagement with said teeth and screw clamp for cla'inping said knee to said flange. o

5. In a printers composing stick, a base plate with e stifi'en'ed longitudinal edge turned down and folded upon itself and formed with teeth alon said edge and flange along the back longitudinal edge, an adjustable knee slidably mounted on said base plate and formed With a cross member and a longitudinal member lying in contact With the flange of said base plate, e catch having a cylindrical shank slid'ab'ly mounted in a bore in said cross member and head extended around said stiffened edge to engage said teeth, a coiled compression spring lodged in said bore to press upon said catch to maintain it in engagement with said teeth and a smooth screw clamp for clamping said knee against the flange of said base plate.

PERCY SIMPSON. 

